MUMBAI: Taking a step towards advertiser funded programming (AFP), PepsiCo India’s brand 7UP is all set to launch a six-week reality show titled 7UP UPstarters, which will feature original talent from South India.

Featuring budding dancers, singers and actors, the first episode of 7UP UPstarters will premiere on 7 June on Udaya TV at 5.30 pm.

The contest saw huge participation from aspiring singers, dancers and actors during the on-ground auditions across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and through a unique wild-card system on Facebook.

With talent including brake-dancers, classical singers, beat-boxers and acting enthusiasts among others, seven teams will fight to finish through a series of week-on-week performances. The winning 7-member team will win a cash prize of Rs 7 lakh.

The grand-finale of the six-part series will be judged by actors and 7UP brand ambassadors Dhanush and Puneeth Rajkumar.

PepsiCo India senior director marketing, social beverages Ruchira Jaitly said, “7UP UPstarters is not just another reality show but a search for the next generation of original, authentic talent from Karnataka. The entire journey from audition to the finale has been packaged into six action-packed episodes to bring viewers closer to the actual experience of each contestant.”